A board on Friday denied parole for Oscar Pistorius, the athlete who was convicted of murdering his model girlfriend in 2013. Reeva Steenkamp’s death remains a defining moment in South Africa’s public memory, and the decision was reported by the South African Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
A group composed of prison service representatives, police, and civilians participated in the decision during a behind‑the‑scenes hearing at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria.
According to a statement from the DCS, the parole denial was based on the reason that the prisoner had not completed the minimum period of detention required by the sentence. The statement cited ruling details from the Supreme Court in March 2023 as part of the context for the decision.
The document noted August 2024 as the date associated with the decision process, signaling another step in the ongoing Pistorius case and its navigation through the parole review system.
During the session, the victim’s mother, June Steenkamp, delivered oral and written statements. She described feeling nervous and predicted the session would be painfully difficult to attend with Pistorius present.
When reporters asked whether she believed Pistorius should be released, Steenkamp replied, “Yeah, I don’t believe his story.” The experience was described as deeply traumatic by the family, with their lawyer stating, before the session began, that it would be painful to face Pistorius again in court.
She added, “He is your daughter’s murderer. I don’t think I should be released. I feel no regrets. He wasn’t rehabilitated because if he had, he would have confessed and told the true story of what happened that night.”
Pistorius, then 36, had filed for parole after claiming to have served more than half of his sentence for Steenkamp’s murder, arguing that South African law allowed parole for offenders who had served half their term. He asserted that he had worked toward rehabilitation and shown genuine remorse, according to a statement forwarded to the court.
The case drew intense global media attention. Pistorius was initially convicted in October 2014 of charges related to the murder, with the court noting extenuating circumstances and the prosecution objecting to the verdict. In November 2015, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeals overturned that ruling, finding him guilty of murder and sending the case back for re‑sentencing.
In July 2016, Judge Masipa imposed a six‑year sentence for murder. After the prosecutor’s office again objected, the Court of Cassation increased the sentence in November 2017 to fifteen years, aligning with the minimum term mandated by South African law in homicide cases, except in exceptional circumstances.
Local media reported that 2017 was identified as the starting point for determining whether Pistorius could be considered for parole, with the court noting that he had not yet served half of his penalty. The updated statement from the court clarified that the half‑way point had not been reached at that time.
Reportedly, the sentence, when applied, equated to thirteen years and five months of imprisonment, with the period of bail and house arrest not contributing to the time served in prison. Last July, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed that a meeting had taken place between Pistorius and Steenkamp’s parents, describing it as part of the athlete’s rehabilitation process and noting that applying for parole is a formal requirement of the program.
Pistorius is serving a prison sentence for shooting Steenkamp dead in his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day in 2013, a case that underscored the tension between celebrity status and accountability. He shot her four times through a closed bathroom door, and during the subsequent trial, he did not convincingly argue that he panicked when he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder entering the house through the bathroom window.
Steenkamp was born with a genetic condition that required the amputation of both legs below the knees, a detail that has colored public discourse around the case. Pistorius’ high profile—from his record-breaking performance at the 2012 London Olympics to the extraordinary use of carbon fiber prostheses—had once spotlighted how an elite athlete can become a global symbol, only to be remade in the light of a grave crime.